The largest asteroid to pass through Earth this year will reach within 1.25 million miles (two million kilometers) of our planet on March 21, NASA said Thursday.
The U.S. space agency said it would allow astronauts to rarely look closely at an asteroid.
The asteroid, 2001 FO32, is thought to be about 3,000 feet in diameter and was discovered 20 years ago, NASA said.
“We know exactly what the 2001 FO32 orbital orbit is around the Sun,” said Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. “There is no chance that the asteroid will get closer to Earth than 1.25 million miles.”
That’s about 5.25 times Earth’s distance from the Moon but still close enough for 2001 FO32 to be classified as a “potentially dangerous asteroid.”
NASA said 2001 FO32 will pass at about 77,000 miles per hour faster than the speed at which most asteroids cross Earth.
“Right now, there’s a lot of information about this, so the close encounter provides a unique opportunity to learn a lot about this asteroid,” said Lance Benner, a senior scientist at NASA’s Jet Dedication Laboratory.
NASA said astronomers hope to gain a better understanding of the size of the asteroid and a rough idea of its contents by examining light appearing off its surface.
“When sunlight hits the surface of an asteroid, minerals in the rock absorb some waves while exposing others,” NASA said. “By examining the spectrum of the light appearing off the surface, astronomers can measure the minerals’ chemical ‘fingerprints’ on the surface of the asteroid. “
Amateur astronauts in some parts of the world should make their own observations.
“The asteroid will be brighter as it moves through the southern skies, Chodas said.
“Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere and low-latitude latitudes to the north should be able to see this asteroid using medium-sized telescopes with openings of at least eight inches at night. to the nearest approach, but they may need star records to find it. “
NASA said that more than 95 percent of near – Earth asteroids the size of 2001 FO32 or greater have been cataloged and that none of them have a chance to affect our planet over the next century.
You will have the best time expires in 0 day (s)
close x
